Just in case you’re curious about what ‘metadata’ can reveal about you, MIT has done a project that will reveal just that. If you use Gmail, and trust MIT, you can check out their Immersion project here. It will show you a nice pretty graphic of what just the metadata shows about you.

Since its been awhile since I have made any posts, I thought I’d summarize a large number of changes in one post. I’ve actually got a few draft posts written up that are rather large, but didn’t feel that dumping them on here out of no where was a good idea.

Anyways,

– Dropped Verizon Wireless as a cell phone carrier due to years of aweful customer service.

– Added Cricket as Wireless carrier, extremely happy with the price and phone.

– Going to France for a week for work in the next week or so.

– Going to Ireland later this summer for vacation.

– Making really great progress on my basement remodel.

– Got the Scooter running again after 2 years of neglect. Cleaned up nicely.

– Still working on Master’s Degree in Information Systems Engineering

– Excited for my younger brother to be married later this year, planning a fun trip for his Bachelor’s party as I’m his best man. Thats right…best man.

– Had 3rd annual block party on my street with all of my lovely neighbors.

– Haven’t been doing much spare time programming due to all of the above activities, but now that I have an Android phone, I’m looking into it.

So, I had a pretty good feeling that all the commercials I had been seeing on TV must have cost a lot of money. Not to mention, the mailing that said “In a week, you’ll receive your census form, please fill it out…” That must have cost taxpayers a chunk of change. Turns out, according to this site, I was right. Please read it…go ahead…I’m waiting.

Now then, I know we need to divide up the pile of money that the government has…but this is ridiculous. I’ve seen soo many census commercials that it makes me sick. Not to mention that each piece of junkmail I get sort of saddens me (because its a great waste of paper and money.) I wish people would just stop and think before they do something stupid….thats all.

I freaking loved reading this article by Jonathan Schwartz, formerly of Sun. He tells the truth about how big companies can act like common thugs when they feel threatened. Sort of makes me think that things are the same everywhere.

So if you have a TV or an internet connection, by now, you’ve heard about Apple’s much talked about tablet called the iPad…or as the WSJ calls it, “The most talked about tablet since the 10 commandments.”

I always look at Apple’s products with great curiosity, as they have a very interesting design model for their products. The iPods certainly made people aware of Apple that had previously dismissed them. And who hasn’t been impressed with an iPhone toting friend? They make neat devices.

The iPad, however, is certainly not one of them. I really struggle to understand what market segment Apple is going after here. It’s bigger than a cell phone or an iPod, so you’ll obviously have to carry it in a bag, and if you’re going to carry it in a bag, why not just bring a real laptop? I have a netbook myself, and I use it far more often than any other computer, despite what Steve Jobs says. I wouldn’t give up the control and precision I get with a full fledged computer for a tablet PC.

I have a Nokia n800, and really tried to embrace the tablet type PC form factor…but it just doesn’t work. So my prediction is, this will be the Segway of PCs. It’s trying to replace something we already do, but fails to give us a reason to do so.